Start Date: January 4, 2024
End Date: January 7, 2024
Venue: 30th International Yoga Festival, Old Port Premises, Pondicherry
At the invitation of Pondicherry Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC), BhāratShakti Director, Dr. Beloo Mehra, curated a 15-poster exhibition on the theme – Sri Aurobindo on Yoga – to be displayed at the 30th International Yoga Festival organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of Puducherry.
Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Shri K. Kailashnathan inaugurated the festival in the presence of Chief Minister Shri N. Rangasamy on January 4, 2025 at Convention Centre, Old Port Premises, Puducherry. The BhāratShakti exhibition was put up before the official inauguration at which Shri Pradeep Narang, Chairman of Sri Aurobindo Society was honoured in the presence of the high officials of Puducherry Government.
The exhibition included selected quotes from Sri Aurobindo which briefly describe what is unique about Integral Yoga, and how it is different from the old Yogas. The quotes were selected so that the key idea can be presented simply and unambiguously. Sri Aurobindo, in his vast correspondence and talks, has many such references where he has explained abstract philosophical concepts in highly clear and simple expressions. Some of those were also scanned for finding appropriate quotes.
Appropriate photographs of Sri Aurobindo and a few other generic pictures available in public domain were used to design the visual component of the posters. The exhibition opened with the quote – “Spirituality is indeed the master-key of the Indian mind; the sense of the infinite is native to it.” And it ends with the quote – “We believe that it is to make the yoga the ideal of human life that India rises today; by the yoga she will get the strength to realise her freedom, unity and greatness, by the yoga she will keep the strength to preserve it.” Complete reference was given for all the quotes used in the exhibition.
Dr. Beloo Mehra could not attend the inaugural programme due to her travels. She was invited for a special felicitation at the valedictory programme on 7th January, the final day of the festival. She was felicitated by Shri. K. Lakshminarayanan, Minister of Tourism, in the presence of Shri R. Selvam, the Speaker of Puducherry Assembly. The valedictory function also included cultural programme and memento presentations to the invited delegates and Yogasana teachers.
